Add bread-making to the list of things one can do thousands of feet in the air on a commercial flight. This impressive feat was done on August 18 on an overseas flight.

Frequent Flour Miles

37-year-old TikToker Maria Baradell booked an American Airlines flight on a Boeing 787 with her family from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, finding a clever way to pass the time in the process. Confined to her seat, she was able to make sourdough bread using all the essential ingredients and cookware.

Her TikTok video Link has been viewed over 2.5 million times. Right at the start of the video, she explains that the bread was meant to be a surprise for her sister.

Also available to view on Instagram Link , the one-minute video involved the steps she took to make the bread, including adding water and flour and stretching and folding the dough inside a bowl. A follow-up video reveals the bread had been fermenting for 8 hours overnight while her flight was headed to Spain.

A Venezuelan immigrant, Baradell has her own business called Leaf & Loaf Link where she sells bread-making kits and coaches aspiring chefs in virtual workshops.

When speaking with Newsweek, Baradell recalled how she was able to get all her belongings on the flight:

"TSA inspected my bag in Dallas since I had flour in it (which of course can look suspicious). The flour, salt, and sourdough starter passed the TSA tests. A lot of people are wondering how I got past security with these items, but they are allowed, and a lot of people in the sourdough community travel with their sourdough starters. We like to make bread wherever we go."

Baradell got the inspiration to make bread on the plane after watching a viral TikTok video of pasta being made on a flight. "Sourdough break-making takes time, so I figured a long trip like this would be perfect for it," she added.

To be polite, Baradell warned other passengers that she was making bread and got the okay to continue with her experiment.

"I don't think any other passenger noticed what I was doing. The crew members didn't notice or didn't care because I really wasn't bothering anyone. There was no smell, I kept everything clean, and I was brief and quiet with every step."
 

Unfortunately, Baradell couldn't actually bake the bread until the flight was over and her family left the plane.

Critics Take A Bite

Not everyone was a fan of her in-flight baking, however. Many viewers had concerns about sanitation on planes and the flour's bacteria that could affect other passengers. One viewer had this to comment:

"as a wheat allergy girlie this would take me out… do you know how long flour can stay in the air??!"
 

Another commenter chimed in, stating "This is so cool but All I can think of is the bacteria in the air 😭".

Baradell took note of the concerns from her viewers, and told Newsweek she won't try to make bread on a flight again due to how airborne gluten can circulate on a plane and infect those with celiac disease.

While it's neat that the TSA couldn't stop her from bringing her ingredients and utensils aboard the flight to make bread, it was fortunate that the exposure to flour didn't result in a severe allergic reaction on the Boeing 787. Because making food on flights isn't common, it's expected that airlines don't have policies on it. 

Let us know what you think about this dough-raising endeavor in the comments section below!